Racing in snow shoes.

The six sled team, followed by eight snowmobiles, totalling 21 humans and 48 dogs decided yesterday to cut the expedition short. After one of us got a little sick, the team decided to turn around and head back. Not surprisingly, everyone is happy with returning to Uncommon Journeys’ comfy lodge. It surely fits in everyone’s “comfort zone”!

Nonetheless, our two days out brought us experience. Our sled teams are now well accustomed to mushing. The drill is naturally executed: fitting the harnesses the dogs, putting the little boots on the paws, feeding them, calling the hounds by their names (Dino, Olive, Fleece, and the other 45!). Rod, our leader, and his two colleagues, Jocelyne and Kyla, have shared with us a great deal of their outdoors knowledge.

A lot of our free time has been spent chatting in the kitchen tent. There, the food is good and the distribution of hot drinks never stops. Not only are we getting accustomed to our dogs, but to ourselves. Although different in age, city, province, language, we are united by one thing: cancer.

We hear tales of chemio, radio, surgery, transplants, permanent disabilities. It’s easy to talk here because everyone’s been through it. Delson, like everyone else, tells me he was mostly worried for his parents. Some refuse to go to school after loosing their hair like Serge: “I just couldn’t go”. Another will never get her hair back entirely. The others know her pain all too well.

Maryo, who got the same cancer as Lance Armstrong, jokes that he still has two testicules unlike the Tour de France winner. Some like Emilie, have had long battles against the odds. Misdiagnosed with anorexia, her battle became a five year war against leukemia. Words are missing when you see the strength of characters like hers. Some in our group are still fighting, unfortunately. Cancer is a life changing experience to say the least.

Last night the whole gang got together around a nice camp fire. We sang quite a bit, except for the teenage boys. I had forgotten that this specie doesn’t like to chant publicly. The only no show for now has been the northern lights. Clouds cover the sky at night, unfortunately. To think that there are on average 200 days of Auroras here… maybe we’ll get lucky when we go down at the yurts tomorrow (our new destination).